Sales stimulator game



Dem 9 1932. R. E. MORGAN SALES STIMULATOR GAME Filed March 26, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l D@C., 2?, 1932. R MORGAN 1,892,113

SALES STIMULATOR GAME Filed March 26, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 27, 1932 rATa T OFFICE ROBERT E. MOAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y-., ASSIGNOR TO BASKILL, INQ, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK SALES STIMULATOR GAME Application filed March 26, 1932. Serial No. 801,382.

This invention relates to a sales stimulator, game device or the like of the general type capable of being set up in amusement parks, stores, seashore resorts, etc.

@ne of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide a game device which serves as a sales or business stimulator by virtue of the fact that the winner is rewarded with small samples of known merchandise,

1 or merchandise which is desired to be newly introduced on the market.

- Another object of the invention is to provide a game device which afiords sport, recreation and amusement for persons desirous of displaying or exercising their skill in throw 29 provided with one or more baskets having their bottoms fitted with a plurality of holes or recesses, into one of which the ball will pass, depending on the throwers skill. These baskets are placed a substantial distance behind a counter and the player, standing on the opposite side of the counter, tries his skill in tossing the ball through a particular hole in the bottom of the basket. These holes are numbered and are visible to the player. On the counter there is provided a series of numbers corresponding to the numbers of the holes in the basket and the player designates the hole he will attempt to throw the ball through by placing a slug on the corresponding number on the counter. The player will toss the ball into the basket, attempting to make it fall through the number which he has indicated on the counter.

All the holes in the basket are fitted, as will be more particularly pointed out hereinafter, with electrical contacts which communicate with an indicator, preferably situated above and to the rear of the baskets and facing the player. The numbers on this indicator correspond to the numbers of the holes in the baskets and those on the playing counter.

The slugs with which the player indicates his choice of numbers on the counter, are obtainedfrom the concessionaire at a nominal prlce, say a penny. For each slug bought,

the player is entitled to one ball. Should he i ratus, with the basket in cross section;

F ig. 2 is a cross sectional view of the lower part of a basket showing a modification;

Flg. 3 1s a diagrammatic top plan view of the device embodying the modification of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 shows a further modification; and Fig. 5 is a front view of the assembled device.

Referring now to Fig. 1 of the drawings, the numeral 10 designates a receptacle, which may be an ordinary basket of the wicker or other type, or it may be metallic or of composition. The basket 10 is of open mesh or reticulated construction, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5. This enables the player to see through the open mesh basket walls, so that he can see the holes in the bottom of the basket, as is evident from Fig. 5. This receptacle is provided with a false bottom 11, WhlCl], in turn, is provided with a plurality of holes, openings or passages 1a, 2a, 3a, 4a, 5a, and 6a. Six holes are here shown, but the number of holes is optional. These pas sages, as shown in the drawings, are laid out regularly along the circumference of a circle, but, of course, any desired arrangement thereof could be employed. The holes could, if desired, be irregularly placed and of different sizes, so that it takes more skill to put a ball through some holes than through others. Each opening is provided on its underside with a contact device comprising device.

a resilient cup-shaped metallic contact member 12, which is afixed to the bottom 11 by means of screws 13, the screws serving also the purpose of binding posts. There is also provided beneath the false bottom 11, and attached thereto by block 1 1 and binding post screw 15, a metallic contact plate 16, preferably circular, which is of suficient overall size to extend radially beyond the flexible contact members 12 and which completes the other terminal for the ball operated contact Each flexible contact member 12 is connected by a wire 12 to one terminal of a lamp L behind its correspondingly numbered indicator I. There is also provided a con nection 16' between the contact plate 16 and all of the indicators. A suitable source of power, such as a battery B, is inserted in the linebetween the contact plate 16 and the indicators.

The device as a whole functions as follows: When the player throws a ball-into the basket, it finds its way into one of the passages 1a, 2a, etc. Upon lodging in one of these passages, the ball, by virtue of its weight, bends the flexible contact-member 12 downwardly and contacts the same with the contact plate 16, thereby completing the circuit to the appropriate indicator. As long as the ball rests in the passageway, the contact is maintained and the light behind its corresponding! indicator illuminated until the ball is removed from the passageway manually, whereupon the flexible contact member 12 springs back to its normal position breaking its contact with charged plate 16 and thereby extinguishing the light behind its corresponding indicator.

In the modification shown in Figs. 2 and 3, flexible contact members 17 are provided, which are not cup-shaped as in the case of contact members 12, but have their effective contact areas substantially horizontally disposed and are so mounted. on the underside of the false bottom 11 as to present a substantial obstruction in thepassages 1a, 20, etc. In this modification, the charged con-- tact plate 16 is spaced from the false bottom 11 a suflicient distance to allow the ball, after passing through the passage, to roll oil the edges of the plate. Attached to the underside of the false bottom, is a runway 18 which is common to all of the passages 1a, 2a, etc. When a thrown ball goes through any passage, it deflects the flexible contact member 17, thereby contacting the same with the charged plate 16. The ball then rollsofl' the plate into the common runway 18.

In the modification of Figs. 2 and 3, it will be evident that a ball on passing through any passage will make but a momentary contact between the contact devices 16 and 17 since the ball on fallin into the runway will allow the flexible mem er 17 to spring back to its eeann original position. In order to maintain the light on the indicator lighted, there is provided a series of conventional trip relays 1b, 2b, 3?), 4?), 5b, 66 (Fig. 3) each relay being in terposed in the line between a numbered passage, the contact plate and the corresponding indicator. A source of power, such as a battery B is provided for the ball-controlled circuits, and a battery B for'the several relay circuits for the indicator ll.

Upon the passing of a ball through any particular passage, contact is made, as before described, between the contact devices 16 and 17, which contact will operate the appropriate trip relay, which will, in turn, close a circuit through a light behind the indicator corresponding with the passage. After the relay has been tripped and the contact between 16 and 17' broken, the ball continues on its way down the common runway and the trip relay illuminates the appropriate indicator, the latter remaining illuminated until the relay is returned to its normal position manually.

Fig. 4 shows a further modification wherein each passage is provided with a flexible contact member 19, partially obstructing free passage through the passage, and a plurality of separate, rigid contact members 20 for each flexible contact member. This modification employs the same general hook-up of trip relays and indicators as used in the other modifications. Each ball, after passing through any passage, eflects contact between contact devices 19 and 20 to close a circuit through the corresponding light in the indicator I and then falls through ducts 21 which communicate with common runway 22. Contact 19 is immediately released when the ball has found its way into the ducts 21. By virtue of the use of the trip relays, however, the indicator remains lighted until the relays are released manually.

In Fig. 5 is shown the general set-up of the game device with the'baskets, their passages, corr'es onding indicators 10;, 2a, etc., all as herein fore described. The player, in this view, has indicated the passage he will try for, by placinga slu on the desired number 25 on the counter. rf is about to try his skill at throwing a ball through the indicated passage. Should he be successful, he will be rewarded by receiving in exchange for the slug, a small sample of merchandise.

The holes have been described as numbered. It will be understood that other indicia, such as letters, symbols, names, etc. could be applied to the holes, and to the indicator, and the claims are to be so construed.

While several embodiments of the invention have been illustrated in some detail, it should be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the precise forms shown, but may be carried out in otherways.

I claim as my invention:

1. A sales stimulator, game, amusement device or the like,comprising abasket-like member having an upstanding substantially vertical wall of openwork construction, for enabling the player to see the bottom of the basket through said wall, the bottom of the basket being provided with a plurality of numbered holes, for receiving a thrown ball, an indicator having numbered spaces thereon corresponding to the numbered holes, and m ball-operated means, electrically connected with the holes and with the indicator, for indicating the holes into which the ball is thrown.

2. A sales stimulator, game, amusement device or the like, comprising a basket-like member having an upstanding substantially vertical wall of openwork construction, for enabling the'player to see the bottom of the basket through said wall, the bottom of the f basket being provided with a plurality of numbered holes, for receiving a thrown ball,

a runway for receiving aballafter it has passed through a hole, an indicator, bearing numbers corresponding to the several numbered holes, and l ball-operated electrical means, actuated by the momentary closing of a circuit due to the passage of the ball through a hole, for lighting the corresponding space on the indicator.

3. A sales stimulator, game, amusement device or the like, comprising a member provided with a plurality of numbered holes, for 'receiving a thrown ball, ball-operated contact means associated with each hole, an indicator having numbered spaces corresponding to the numbered holes, and trip relay means, actuated by the momentary closing of a circuit at said contact means by the ball as it passes through a hole, whereby a corresponding space on the indicator is lighted and the circuit through the indicator is maintained closed until reset manually.

4. A sales stimulator, game, amusement device or the like, comprising a member provided with a plurality of numbered holes, for receiving a thrown ball, ball-operated contact means associated with each hole, an indicator having numbered spaces corresponding to the numbered holes, and trip relay means, actuated by the momentary closing of a circuit at said contact means by the ball as'it passes through a hole, whereby a corresponding space on the indicator is lighted and the circuit through the indicator is maintained closed until reset manually, and a runway for collecting the balls after they have passed said contact means.

5. A sales stimulator, game, amusement device or the like, comprising a member pro- W vided with a plurality of numbered holes, for

receiving a thrown ball, ball-operated resilient contact devices associated with each hole,

a contact plate common to and adapted to cooperate with all of said contact devices, and @5 an indicator having numbered spaces corresponding to the numbered holes, electrically connected with said contact devices.

6. A sales stimulator, game, amusement device or the like, comprising in combination a receptacle having its bottom provided with a plurality of openings adapted to receive a thrown ball, said openings having associated therewith resilient metallic contact fingers, a contact plate beneath the receptacle, and a plurality of indicators corresponding to the-openings in the-bottom of the receptacle, said indicators being electrically connected to the resilient fingers and contact plate so that the ball upon engaging in any opening will engage its resilient finger to contact the latter with the contact plate and so cause the indicator to show the opening into which the ball fell..

7. A sales stimulator, game, amusement de- Vice or the like comprising in combination, a receptacle having its bottom provided with a plurality of openings and adapted to receive a thrown-ball, resilient-metallic fingers partially obstructing the openings, a contact plate immediately beneath the bottomof the receptacle, a plurality of indicators corresponding to the openings in the receptacle, and electrical connections betweeireach indicator and the resilient finger in its corresponding opening and between each indicator and the contact plate, so that the thrown ball upon arriving in any opening will move its resilient finger to contact the latter with the contact plate and thus close the circuit through the finger, contact sponding indicator.

8. A sales stimulator, game, amusement device, or the like, comprising in combination, a receptacle having its bottom provided with a plurality of openings and adapted to receive a thrown ball, ball-operated resilient cont-act devices partially obstructingthe openings, a plurality of indicators corresponding to the openings in the receptacle, and trip relays interposed between each contact device and corresponding indicator, said contact devices, relays and indicators being operatively connected so that the passage of a ball through any opening will cause the circuit through the indicator to remain closed until the trip relay is manually reset, thereby causing the corresponding indicator to remain lighted until such resetting is effected.

9. A sales stimulator, game, amusement device or the like, comprising in combination, a receptacle having its bottom providedwith a plurality of openings and adapted to receive a thrown ball, resilient contact devices partially obstructing the openings, a common runway for the balls after they have dropped through an opening, a plurality of indicators corresponding to the openings in the recepta-r cle, trip relays interposed between each contact device and corresponding indicator, said contact devices, relays and indicators being plate, and corretenants operatiyely cdnnected so that the passage ot a ball through any opening will cause the curcuit through the indicator to remain closed until the trip relay is manually reset, thereby 5 causing the corresponding indicator to remain lighted until the relay is reset.

10. A sales stimulator, game, amusement device or the like, comprising in combination, a receptacle having its bottom provided m with a plurality of numbered openings and adapted to receive a thrown hall,a contact device comprising a resilient contact finger mounted near the periphery of each opening W: a and partially obstructing free passage therei through, a common runway tor the balls after they have dropped through an opening, a plurality of numbered indicators corresponding to the openings in the receptacle, said indicators each being capable of separate illumination, and trip relays interposed between, and operatively connected to, each contact device and its corresponding indicator, so that the passage of a hall through any opening will cause a momentary contact between the linger and its contact, the momentary contact operating; the trip relay whereby the circnit through the indicator is maintained closed until the trip relay is manually reset and whereby the appropriate indicator is illuminated until the relay is reset.

ll. A sales stimulator, game, amusement device or like, comprising in combination, a receptacle having its bottom provided 1 with a plurality of numbered openings adapt ed to receives thrown hall, resilient metallic fingers partially obstructing the openings a metallic contact plate immediately beneath the receptacle, said plate being far enough below the openings to permit continuous movement of the hall alter passing through any opening, a common return runway for the halls beneath the plate, a plurality 0t numbered indicators corresponding to the openings in the receptacle, each indicator being capable of separate illumination, and trip relays interposed hetween, and operatively connected to, each contact device and corre sponding indicator, so that the passage oi? a hall through any opening will cause a mornentary contact between the contact finger and plate, this momentary contact operating the trip relay to illuminate the appropriate indicator.

l n testimony whereof, l afiin my signature,

lE. MtlllGAN. 

